West Yorkshire man in court accused of encouraging man in US to take his own life on video call
Dylan Phelan, 21, from Morley, is charged with encouraging the suicide of Travis Dyer in Louisiana in October 2024
A West Yorkshire man accused of encouraging a man in the US to shoot himself over a video call has appeared in court for the first time.
Dylan Phelan, 21, from Morley, is charged with encouraging the suicide of Travis Dyer in Louisiana on October 30 2024.
On Wednesday Phelan appeared at Leeds Magistrates' Court, where he was not asked to officially enter a plea to the charge.
He pleaded guilty to one count of making an indecent image of a child in November 2024 and three counts of possessing extreme pornography in March 2025.
Magistrates heard the offence of encouraging suicide was so serious it could only be dealt with by a crown court judge.
Alex Johnson, prosecuting, said: "(Phelan) faces an indictable only charge relating to encouragement, we say, that the defendant gave to a man to commit suicide using the Discord platform."
Chair of the bench Sam Shabil gave Phelan conditional bail until his next appearance at Leeds Crown Court on March 11.
Mr Dyer, 21, lived in Theriot, Louisiana, and lost his mother and younger sister in a crash 10 years before his own death.
In August 2014 local newspaper Houma Today reported that Ashley Ann Worrell, 31, and her three-year-old daughter Delaney Rae Lirette died after their pick-up overturned into a canal.
An obituary posted on a funeral home website after Mr Dyer's death said he was "sweet, gentle, quiet, kind and very caring to those he loved".
It read: "Travis will forever be loved and terribly missed by all of those who have known him."
A tribute posted by his great-grandmother said: "Travie, We miss you. Needless to say, I'm so beside myself. I don't know what to say or how to say it.
"Sweetheart, you were so unfortunate to have had so many tragedies in your young life. It was totally unfair for you."